Holder and anti-sway means for trolley



June 23, 1964 J. KNIPPEL 3,138,114

HOLDER AND ANTI-SWAY MEANS FOR TROLLEY Filed May 24, 1962 INVENTOR. LAWRENCE J. KN IPPEL L/ZWWCQZZZV ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,138,114 HOLDER AND ANTI-SWAY MEANS FOR TROLLEY Lawrence J. Knippel, W. 189, -7603 Circle Drive, Muskego, Wis. Filed May 24, 1962, Ser. No. 197,500 3 Claims. (Cl. 104-89) My invention relates to hook supports for overhead rails and more particularly to a hook support that will retain the hook to prevent it from swaying in a horizontal direction.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a stationary fixture, attached to an overhead rail, that will act as a means to support the conveying fixture, and retain it in a position so that it will not sway or move in a horizontal direction.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described, that may be locked or latched, While the load or object being conveyed, is being processed.

It is common practice to employ rotatably mounted conveyors that are channelled and guided by an overhead rail for supporting a plurality of objects, or products, suspended from the conveyor. Quite frequently it is necessary to process the suspended object, and it is the object of my invention to provide a rigid guide attached to the rail to accommodate the portion of the conveyor, supporting the object or product, while it is being processed. This is especially true in meat packing plants, or the like, where the portions are conveyed by carriages, suspended from an overhead rail.

The device is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and serves a very practical purpose.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the device constituting my invention,

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view of the device illustrated in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the portion of an overhead rail having my device attached thereto to receive the hook of a conveyor suspended from said overhead rail, and

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of FIGURE 3 taken on a plane passing through the line 4-4 perpendicular to the overhead rail and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar characters Qfreference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring now to the same, the character 9 shows a means for retaining a support member which is movably associated with a conveyor rail and has a vertical member 10 provided with apertures 11, for attaching by means of bolts 12 to a conventional conveyor rail shown as 13. The vertical member extends downward along one side of the rail, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The lower end of the member 10 is equipped with a pair of horizontal guides 14 attached thereto by adjustable nut and bolt combinations 31 extending through the horizontal guides and member 10 as illustrated in the drawings. Springs 30 are interposed between each side of the member 10 and the horizontal guides 14 whereby the horizontal guides can be spaced apart different distances to accommodate different sized hooks therebetween. A pin member 31a is threadedly fastened to the member 10 as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3 at one side thereof to prevent a support member from swaying by protruding through an opening in the support member when the support member is being retained. FIGURE 4 illustrates my device in such a position.

3,138,114 Patented June 23, 1964 The overhead rail 13 supports a plurality of means for retaining support members such as the carriage assemblies 9 (only one shown) consisting of a channelled rotating wheel 19 attached rotatably by the bolt 20 to a yoke member 21 which consists of a vertical portion 21a integrally provided with a horizontal portion 22. The horizontal portion 22 is shown pivotally supporting a loop 23 which in turn supports a support member or a hook 24. The hook is employed to support the product or object being conveyed on the rail. However, any known support means can be employed. The yoke means in this embodiment is shown extending downward along the side of the conveyor rail 13 that is opposite to that side which the vertical member 10 extends downward along.

Obviously the entire carriage assembly rolls on the wheel 19 contacting the upper edge of the rail 13 and is free to swing in any direction when the weight of the object (not shown) is being conveyed. However, when the hook is retained within the confines of the horizontal guides 14 and the pin 31a is protruding through the loop 23 the object being conveyed will be held in a position where it will not sway or move in a horizontal direction when it is being processed or worked on.

It should be understood that this invention should not be limited to the vertical member extending from the conveyor rail downward, as it may extend in difierent directions depending on how the support means is con Veyed. The statement also holds true for the horizontal guide means. These guide means may be disposed in a number of positions just as long as they are not proximately disposed with relation to the support means and they are adjustably fastened to the member 10 to enable accommodating different sized support means. Also, the pin 31a must be disposed in a position to protrude through an opening in the support member and therefore the threaded portions 32 can be disposed in any number of positions other than those shown in the drawings to enable the pin means 31a to function as it is herein intended.

The entire device constituting my invention is exceedingly simple, yet serves an important function, and it is manifest to anyone familiar with its use, that the relative shape and contour, or arrangement, may be varied yet serve the same purpose, and I therefore reserve the rights to make changes that I may deem convenient, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Means for retaining a support member in a fixed position without swaying in a horizontal direction, said support member being associated with a conveyor rail to move along said conveyor rail while having an article suspended therefrom, comprising: a. vertical member attached to and extending from said conveyor rail, and a pair of horizontal guides adjustably attached at one end thereof to both sides of said member, said guides having springs interposed between said member and said guides, said guides being associated with said member by having a nut and bolt combination extending therethrough and through said member whereby said nut and bolt combination can be adjusted to enable said guides to have a preselected opening therebetween and when said support member is positioned in said opening between said guides said support member is retained in a fixed position with respect to the horizontal direction.

2. Means for retaining a support member in a fixed position in a vertical direction without swaying, said support member being associated with a conveyor rail to move along said conveyor rail while having an article suspended therefrom, comprising: a vertical member attached to and extending downward from said con veyor rail, and a pair of horizontal guides adjustably attached at one end thereof to both sides of said memher, said guides having springs interposed between said member and said guides, whereby said guides have an adjustable opening therebetween and when said support member is positioned in said opening between said guides said support member is retained in a fixed position with respect to the vertical direction without swaying.

3. Means for retaining a support member, as defined in claim 2, wherein said vertical member has pin means disposed to protrude through said support member for preventing said support member from swaying in a hori- 4 zontal direction when it is being retained between said horizontal guides.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,051,780 Terril et a1 Jan. 28, 1913 1,538,925 Buckham May 26, 1925 2,566,962 Ramsey Sept. 4, 1951 2,724,342 Anderson Nov. 22, 1955 2,761,394 Cantrell et a1 Sept. 4, 1956 2,818,031 Peele et a1 Dec. 31, 1957 

1. MEANS FOR RETAINING A SUPPORT MEMBER IN A FIXED POSITION WITHOUT SWAYING IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, SAID SUPPORT MEMBER BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A CONVEYOR RAIL TO MOVE ALONG SAID CONVEYOR RAIL WHILE HAVING AN ARTICLE SUSPENDED THEREFROM, COMPRISING: A VERTICAL MEMBER ATTACHED TO AND EXTENDING FROM SAID CONVEYOR RAIL, AND A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL GUIDES ADJUSTABLY ATTACHED AT ONE END THEREOF TO BOTH SIDES OF SAID MEMBER, SAID GUIDES HAVING SPRINGS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID MEMBER AND SAID GUIDES, SAID GUIDES BEING ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MEMBER BY HAVING A NUT AND BOLT COMBINATION EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND THROUGH SAID MEMBER WHEREBY SAID NUT AND BOLT COMBINATION CAN BE ADJUSTED TO ENABLE SAID GUIDES TO HAVE A PRESELECTED OPENING THEREBETWEEN AND WHEN SAID SUPPORT MEMBER IS POSITIONED IN SAID OPENING BETWEEN SAID GUIDES SAID SUPPORT MEMBER IS RETAINED IN A FIXED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE HORIZONTAL DIRECTION. 